Written by Brandi Clement
Rebekah Larson is a 2016 graduate from Heartland Community Schools who pursued a degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Marketing from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She recently graduated from NWU this last May after completing her bachelor’s degree in three years.
When asked about how did she find marketing useful and how Rebekah chose to study communication, she commented, “This major is incredibly diverse, and I saw the value in understanding the depth of communication for any career path I would choose. After my first class, I realized that there is so much more to the study of communication than most people assume. I fell in love with all the theories, research, and endless opportunities that come with studying it. Having strong written, verbal, and non-verbal communication is key to success in any industry. I wanted to understand these skills before entering the workforce.” As for Rebekah’s minor, she stated, “I chose to minor in Marketing because I wanted to dive deeper into the communication between businesses and consumers. I love being able to combine what I was learning in Communication Studies to business.”
While she attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, Rebekah was involved a sorority on campus, Willard, and spent most of her time working towards obtaining her degree or at her part time job. “I would not trade my experience at NWU for anything. Not only did I grow academically, I grew as an individual. I had experience working with many different groups and organizations that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I gained life-long friendships who always pushed me to work hard and strive to be my best self,” Rebekah explained. Not only did she gain great friendships, Rebekah mentioned that attending NWU allowed her to truly connect with all her professors. “My biggest class didn’t have more than 25 students, so I had deep connections with my professors and peers. Wesleyan also gave me freedom to explore my own personal passions outside of the classroom by allowing me to intern with a fashion designer and create projects that I was interested,” said Rebekah.
Upon graduating in May, Rebekah moved to Maine to work with ASHLEYlauren, a fashion company that sell high-end evening gowns to retailers across the United States and internationally. “After my sophomore year of college, I obtained an internship with ASHLEYlauren. The company’s headquarters is based in Maine, but they also operate a showroom in Atlanta. For my internship, I went to the showroom [in Atlanta] to assist with the market. During this time, I fell even more in love with the industry and felt as if I found a second family with this company. After completing my internship, I was offered a full-time position with ASHLEYlauren. I finished up my degree the following year and moved to begin this new job,” stated Rebekah. Currently, Rebekah helps run the general operations for ASHLEYlauren. “I assist with planning for our upcoming markets, ship out orders, and help create marketing materials. I also write weekly blogs for our website, track our social media activity, and provide customer service to the retailers,” she said.
If she could give herself any advice looking back to her first year of college she would say, “Cherish the time you have with the people around you and have fun. You can always retake a class, but you can never relive memories. Don’t get me wrong, grades are important, but living down the hall from your new best friends doesn’t last forever.”
